The Banquet
by FreelanceDreamer
Summary: Tumblr Prompt: Imagine Person B of your OTP feels insecure about how they look while trying on new clothes. Person A then puts their arms around Person B's waist and tells them how beautiful they are.


A.N. So I got this off of the 'Imagine Your OTP' blog on Tumblr. If you've never checked it out it's always good for some OTP inspiration I think that the prompt for this one will become self evident but I'll put it at the bottom for anyone who hasn't figured it out by then. Let's think of it as a game shall we? Anyways if you like it – and even if you don't – please read and review. And as always, enjoy.

P.S. This was not supposed to be as long as it is -_-

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Beth Clemmons stared at herself in the mirror, it always astounded her how fast someone could change their opinion. She was certain that she had loved the dress she had on when she'd tried it on in the store, she'd even stuck to her 'if you don't absolutely love it, don't buy it' rule which had been why Beth had been sure she'd found the perfect dress. Yet as she looked in the mirror the black, knee length dress just didn't seem to pop as it had in the store. It didn't look terrible; completely back, broad shoulder straps with a low neckline and silver accents that ran horizontally across the waist...it actually look pretty good. It was definitely something she would have worn if it had been a different occasion but she wanted to make a good impression at that night's banquet. Not only was it her first formal event where she would be Aaron's date but it was an FBI banquet, which meant it would be full of people that he interacted with on a daily basis.

Smoothing out the dress again she sighed and paced the room in her also recently purchased high heels. She knew if she kept up the pacing that she was going to wear a trail in Aaron's rug but it helped her to think. Glancing at the nightstand she took note of the fact that the banquet didn't even start for another three hours but none of that mattered if she had to find something else to wear.

A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Aaron's head peaking cautiously into the room.

"Can I come in?"

She smiled, "Please."

Pushing the door open, he came into the disaster area that was his bedroom. Beth couldn't help but smile as she watched him, he must have just gotten out of the shower because his hair was sticking to his scalp like white glue. She wasn't sure if it was his age, his job, his son, or a mixture of the three that had started to turn his hair grey but it made him even more irresistible to her. His face was etched with deep lines of worry and stress but when he smiled the years seemed to peel away instantaneously, revealing the man that he had been years ago as well as the man he could have been had he chose a different career. His dark eyes hid years of unspeakable horrors and secrets he would take to his grave, but around his son, they were filled with love and bright with the reflection of his son's innocence.

The T-shirt and sweatpants he'd put on after his shower did wonders for his body. Beth had always admired Aaron's biceps; she knew that one had to be fit to be a member of the FBI but his arms seemed particularly muscular, only rivaled by some of the art pieces at the museum she worked at. The sweatpants were just undeniably sexy for reasons she hadn't figured out yet and she was prepared to study his sweatpants-clad body for as long as it took for her to figure it out.

When he saw her he smiled, something that gave her back a small portion of the confidence she'd had in the dress when she'd bought it.

"Wow." He murmured appreciatively.

She tilted her head, "You like it?"

He nodded, "Very much so."

Sitting on the end of his bed she took her heels off and massaged one of her feet, the heels weren't particularly comfortable but it didn't help that she'd been walking on the carpet – her ankles felt like jelly.

"You know," he said after a moment, still standing in the doorway. "The banquet isn't for another couple of hours."

She rolled her eyes, "I do know."

The look her gave her made her sigh and stand up, going over to him. "Aaron I'm sorry. I'm just a little frustrated."

He nodded, "Why?"

She made a face and turned away from him, going back over to stand in front of the mirror. The longer she stared the less and less she liked the way she looked and the more nervous she became. She went to social events all the time. As a museum curator a lot of the time she was in charge of setting up these kind of events and she was never nervous because it was something she knew like the back of her hand. However tonight she would be in a room full of people she didn't know - FBI agents no less – and would be completely out of her element, something she was not looking forward to.

"I don't…like this dress."

She saw his confused expression in her peripheral vision as he pushed off the doorframe and walked over to stand behind her. She could see him scrutinizing her dress in the mirror; he had a look of concentration on his face that she'd seen only a handful of time beforehand.

He shook his head, meeting her gaze in the mirror, "I like your dress. You make it look very nice."

"But do you think it will be alright for tonight?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" He countered.

She shrugged trying to organize her thoughts, "You don't think it will be awkward…out of place?"

A look of understanding settled over his body but he made no change in his demeanor as he continued the conversation.

"I think it will fit in nicely with the evening. It's not too flashy but it's not plain by any means. It's modest but still a little risky…it has personality."

She smiled, "You think?"

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder, smiling back at her.

"I know so."

Grinning she reached up and stroked the side of his face. "What are you going to wear?"

Aaron looked confused, "I can't wear this?"

Beth laughed and turned in his arms, facing him. She brushed his damp bangs from his forehead and just looked at him. She could have spent hours looking at him, it felt like every time she did she saw something new, and it wasn't always something physical. Sometimes when she looked at him, she caught glimpses of emotions that she didn't even have names for. Although Aaron wasn't old by any means he definitely wasn't young anymore and all the years of experience had exposed him to many things, a lot of which stayed with him.

Pulling on the hem of his shirt she grinned, "No you can't. I'm sure I could help you find something more suitable though."

Finding the zipper on the back of her dress Aaron pulled it down slowly, causing goose bumps to rise on her arms as the anticipation of what was to come began to build. Lowering his head to her neck, he pressed soft kisses to all the skin he could find, slowly peeling the straps off her shoulders and pushing them down her arms. When the dress hit the ground Beth ran her nails up through his hair starting at the back of his neck. She could feel dampness on her skin from wear his hair was touching her body but all it did was heighten the sensations.

When he finally pulled back, she took the opportunity to pull his shirt off over his head, using a hand on his lower abdomen to push him back towards the bed. Once on the bed she straddled him, using her vantage point to kiss him senseless.

"You know," he murmured between kisses. "My closet is on the other side of the room."

Beth paused to consider what he'd just said, "Well…I mean there's really no point going over there until these clothes are off. You know, to save time."

His lips twitched but he nodded, "Very good point Ms. Clemmons."

"I thought so."

It was another hour before they were done on the bed. Lying in the almost silence Beth listened to the sound of Aaron's breathing and the feel of his heartbeat under her fingertips. His heart rate still hadn't recovered to where it should have been at rest but that was fine because neither had hers. Drawing senseless patterns against the skin of his chest, she let her hand drift lower, hearing the catch in his breath as her fingers fluttered over his ribs encountering one of the multiple scares that resided on his body. She knew that he was self-conscious of them, during the earlier months of their relationship, he'd been reluctant to take his shirt off; something she'd understood and hadn't pushed him for. He still wasn't too comfortable with them but she tried to help him accept some of the things he'd been having trouble with, even if it only helped in a minute way.

"I might need to take another shower," Aaron said after a few more minutes had passed.

"What did you work up a sweat?"

He chuckled, "No pain no gain; I don't think I'll be able to go anywhere shirtless for a while, people would see my back and wonder what happened."

She snorted, "What exactly were you planning on doing this weekend."

He shot her a grin before pulling his boxers back on and getting out of bed. She missed the warmth of his body immediately after he'd gone and moved over into the spot that he'd occupied in the bed. She watched him go over to the closet and open the door, it wasn't like he was going to have to fuss over what he would wear, the man had enough suits to be the shop he'd bought them from out of business. He pulled the jacket and pants he'd chosen from the closet and set them on the end of the bed along with the dress shirt he chose a few moments later.

Beth had been expecting him to choose a tie when he bent down to retrieve her dress from the floor and put it on a hanger, which he then hung off the door of his closet. She watched attentively as he pulled out tie after tie, compared it to the silver on her dress, and found herself oddly touched. It was such a simple gesture and yet it meant more than she could put into words. When he decided on a tie he gathered up all of his clothes, as well as her dress and took them out of the room to where she could only guess was the bathroom.

"Are you coming?" He called from across the hall.

Laughing, Beth threw back the covers and quickly joined her lover in the bathroom. The shower was quick but the hot water felt heavenly on her body and the combination of water, soap, and slightly calloused hands left her skin tingling when they finally emerged from the shower. By that time they had about an hour and a half before the banquet started, which didn't give them much time to fool around with.

Aaron dressed quickly while she was blow-drying her hair and he was ready and waiting as she brushed her teeth and did her makeup. By the time her hair was done and she was in her dress he'd long since taken up refuge in the living room to watch television.

She was putting everything away when he managed to sneak up behind her; she wasn't sure what was happening when she felt something cool against her chest and neck. She looked up just in time to see his reflection in the mirror fastening the necklace behind her. Thoroughly confused she reached up to touch the pendant that rested against her chest. Looking down she inspected the diamond shaped, colour filled accessory. The mixture of blues, yellows, greens, and reds reminded of something she might have seen at work or even a pattern on one of the less formal dresses she owned.

When she looked back into the mirror she could see him smiling as he watched her.

"Aaron…" His name came out as a breathless whisper as she turned to actually look at him.

He smiled sheepishly, "I know it's nothing special-"

She cut him off when she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He returned the hug just as earnestly before pulling back.

"So you like it?" He asked.

She balked at him, "Like it? I love it! I just wasn't expecting it."

"I know. I was going to give it to you next month for your birthday but I noticed that you were feeling a little anxious about tonight so I decided to give it to you now."

"Thank you. I would kiss you but it would smudge my makeup and red is not your colour."

He laughed and kissed her forehead, offering his arm. "You ready to go?"

She looped her arm through his and nodded, "Yes. Yes I am."

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The prompt was: Imagine Person B of your OTP feels insecure about how they look while trying on new clothes. Person A then puts their arms around Person B's waist and tells them how beautiful they are.


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